I'm stuck on choices. I know you have to take all the factors into account when choosing a university, but which ones are more significant;reputation of the uni, location, social life or your course on the league table? How did you make or making a choice?

P.S For my first choice I'm stuck between Kent, Sussex, Loughborough and Warwick.Can you give any advice, please?

(Original post by Unidentified_object)
I'm stuck on choices. I know you have to take all the factors into account when choosing a university, but which ones are more significant;reputation of the uni, location, social life or your course on the league table? How did you make or making a choice?

P.S For my first choice I'm stuck between Kent, Sussex, Loughborough and Warwick.Can you give any advice, please?

Whichever is most important to you. It'll be different for everyone.

For me, course content, followed by university facilities, were most important.

I think the location and the social life are the most important. Obviously if there are vast differences in the standard of education than this would be a consideration but for my course the standards are pretty much the same. The first year of uni is all about socialising rather than doing work so you wanna be in a place you'll like. Besides in order to do well academically, you need to be happy socially

I took a list of all the universities that did the course i wanted to do. Cut of London, Scotland, Wales and the far North from my list because they were places i didn't want to be. I then cut of all the ones which wanted grade requirements of anything equal or higher than AAB (i knew i could get BBB and thought i could probably get ABB if i worked hard) and also took off all the universities that asked for D grades because they weren't good enough. I then had a list of about 15 so i ordered prospectuses from them all.

I then read through the prospectuses and filled out a questionaire which i'd written to get all the key facts about the unis in one easy to read place. My questionaire had things like music facilities, sports clubs, distance to campus from halls and general student accommodation, accreditation of my degree, fieldwork, fieldwork funding. And various other things which were important to me. When i went to open days (i tried to go to as many as possible) i would write lots of notes, get loads of bumpf and take pictures and made sure to see as much as i could. After i had all this information i was able to cut down to my 5 choices and applied to them. At this point i still didn't really have a preference to any particular university. I received invites to see all of them so some i turned down because i'd already been but i made sure to visit all of my choices before i made my firm choice. When i went to one open day i was completely smitten by the place and knew that it should be my first choice. For my second choice i put down the lowest offer i had (which was only one grade lower) and that was that. I wasn't really worried about not getting my first choice because i knew i was working at a high B grade for all of my courses so the BBB offer i got was very doable.

Just pick the place you're completely in love with... Kent was my dream and now I have accepted my place there for September and can't wait! From the list of universities you've given, you're obviously falling into the AAA-ABB grades so you may as well pick a university in the top 30 - from then on, all of the universities are good/reputable. Pick the one that's good for your course and the one that you love. Out of your five maybe have a set up like this:
1st: AAA
2nd: AAB
3rd: AAB
4th: ABB
5th: BBB
...if that is actually the grades you're going for, I could be wrong but I'd expect Loughborough, Warwick, Kent & Sussex to give offers in that range... which is your favourite out of the universities you've listed so far? xxxxxx

For me, I first eliminated any unis that didn't do the course (apart from Edinburgh, as due to the scottish system of studying outside subjects, I can still do the course as an ISC) so that's places like Oxford and Cambridge out. Then I eliminated any London unis, or ones that are too close (Birmingham, Aston, Warwick, Nottingham)
I looked at places with nice architecture and that are easily accessible by train, but still a fair distance away. Once I'd done that, and looked at places that I liked the look of, I was left with a short list of about eight and just chose the places I'd be happiest in.

Use Unistats - search by your course area, and tick box the unis you're interested in - then you can compare every detail of the university side-by-side...quality of teaching, student life, male-female ratio, student prospects etc. You might find a very good or bad point on the university you didn't realise before.

Secondly, I would go to the visit days. This is the only way you will see the university and staff with your own eyes - websites, booklets and letters can be deceptive!

Of course, going through threads on TSR can be of some help as well! :P

Just remember, it may have good graduate prospects now but will it still do in 3/4 years time?

And employers look for what you got out of uni apart from a degree. But you've got to be there for 3/4 years - it has to be the place you really want to be!

Hope that helps?

I'm doing Law at Dundee which is in top 15 for law in the UK, compared to Finance and Business Law at Heriot Watt, which isn't really a good university, only for engineering etc...

The Dundee offer will allow me to take a year abroad in my third year, I will learn both Scots and English Law hence making me more flexible in the job market. However, the HW offer, I will have to do a one year full time conversion course to pursue a law career.

The problem though, is my social life will be much better in my hometown (Edinburgh/Heriot Watt), but is that really worth giving up the other one? Especially since i'm only 16 so I think it is an opportunity to study Law at a top 15 when i'm only 16.

(Original post by ILoveRona)
I'm doing Law at Dundee which is in top 15 for law in the UK, compared to Finance and Business Law at Heriot Watt, which isn't really a good university, only for engineering etc...

The Dundee offer will allow me to take a year abroad in my third year, I will learn both Scots and English Law hence making me more flexible in the job market. However, the HW offer, I will have to do a one year full time conversion course to pursue a law career.

The problem though, is my social life will be much better in my hometown (Edinburgh/Heriot Watt), but is that really worth giving up the other one? Especially since i'm only 16 so I think it is an opportunity to study Law at a top 15 when i'm only 16.

If you're sixteen and so probably won't be able to go to any pubs or clubs anyway for your first couple of years, then should social life really be a big priority?

(Original post by ILoveRona)
I'm doing Law at Dundee which is in top 15 for law in the UK, compared to Finance and Business Law at Heriot Watt, which isn't really a good university, only for engineering etc...

The Dundee offer will allow me to take a year abroad in my third year, I will learn both Scots and English Law hence making me more flexible in the job market. However, the HW offer, I will have to do a one year full time conversion course to pursue a law career.

The problem though, is my social life will be much better in my hometown (Edinburgh/Heriot Watt), but is that really worth giving up the other one? Especially since i'm only 16 so I think it is an opportunity to study Law at a top 15 when i'm only 16.

Firstly: wow! 16! woah!

Secondly: Dundee is a city like any other, so will offer a good social life and it really does seem to offer a lot for a furture career.